


Nothing is as it seems

by AndyWBlackstorn



Series: Secrets Beetween Dimensions Universe (SBD) [5]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), Sherlock (TV), Supernatural
Genre: Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Drama, F/M, Family, Family Feels, Gen, SBD, Secrets Beetween Dimensions Universe, Superwholock, sbd universe, sed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-03-17 06:41:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18959947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AndyWBlackstorn/pseuds/AndyWBlackstorn
Summary: It's not just Mary's death that changes John's life forever. When dangers arise, it is necessary to make decisions that will require more sacrifices.





	1. Nothing is as it seems

When they left Mrs. Watson's body at the London Aquarium, Mary rose slowly. A thread of regeneration came out of her mouth. Amazingly her appearance was the same. Then she realized what had happened and started crying desperately. There in her "death" she saw the opportunity to leave John and Rosie in safety definitely. Even in the midst of tears and sadness, she managed to act, sacrificing herself for love once more in her life.  
She ran to the old apartment that she lived in London when she was single. There was something guarded there when she was doing missions for the Wythers. Artificial meat. She quickly managed to create a lifeless semblance of herself. Mary led it to the aquarium and left it there, replacing it. Now there was only one refuge she could go. Darilium, to the house of her parents.  
***  
Mary's watch was a vortex manipulator she hadn't worn in years, ever since she'd settled on Earth. She then gave the coordinates and in a heartbeat was in Darilium. She spotted the little house her parents had lived for two years. The old and beloved TARDIS just next door. Mary took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"But who could it be at a time like this ..." she heard her father's scornful Scottish voice, which made her smile, "Amelia?"

She hugged her father who was still perplexed but extremely moved by seeing his daughter.

 "Dad," Mary said, "can I spend some time with you?"

 "Of course," the Doctor agreed, "as long as you tell me what happened."

"Sweetheart who was ..." River was speechless to see her daughter and just ran to embrace her "Mary!"

"Mom!" The younger one answered back. "It's so good to see you."

"But why did you come to visit us? Not that I'm not happy, of course, "Melody explained.

"That's what I wanted to know, too." The Doctor crossed his arms and sat down in front of his daughter.

"You're right I didn't come here for no reason" Mary began to explain. "Something very serious has happened. I died during one of Sherlock's cases. Actually in his resolution. Only after a while I regenerated myself. But I decided to keep my death because John and Rosie are in danger because of me. And I have nowhere else to go. I only have you now." She could not help the tears.

"So John doesn't know you're alive?" Her father asked.

 "It doesn't have to be like that," Mary sniffed, "it's for their good."

"I'm sorry, my girl," he hugged her, "stay here for as long as you need."

Mary was silent, grateful for the support of her parents. She spent some time in Darilium, living her quiet but worried life, kept thinking about the family she'd left behind. But the moments of joy with her parents reminded her of her happy childhood. Then one fine day she received a coded message. A code she knew well but wanted to forget.  
Inside the envelope, beyond the message was a small strand of blond hair. She recognized the hair from when she was younger. It belong to her. Mary cut her hair when she was a Wyther spy. The message was theirs and said she could flee as much as she wanted, but John and Rosie would never escape their clutches. The Wythers would have their revenge against Mary upon their death. Mary showed the message to her parents.

"This is worse than the enemies of AGRA," she said worriedly, "how can I tell you that they are being pursued by aliens? How can I approach them without putting them in danger?"

"Just calm down, my dear, let's think of something." River tried to comfort her. "I'm sure you won't let anything bad happen to them."

"You have to go back and tell him" Mary's father was practical "he has to know the truth about you, the whole truth, it's his right. John gave you infinite vows of trust. And you know him better than anyone else. You know he'd listen to you and forgive you."

"After being mortally hurt," Mary said flatly, "but you're right. He has to know."

"Tell him and do one more thing." River thought of a more elaborate plan. "Tell him you need to get away. You're having a unique opportunity, my daughter. Even in the midst of chaos you can be happy with who you love."

The Doctor looked at her a little sadly.

 "Your mother is right, Amelia." He put his arm around her daughter's shoulder. "Run away very far, leave England behind. Go to a land of strangers. Have a common life as much as possible. I'll give you a ride to London."

"Shall we talk to John now?" Mary was still stunned.

"Yes, the sooner it's safer for him and my granddaughter," the doctor replied, "let's go to TARDIS now!"

 Mary was startled by the decision made so quickly, but she was accustomed to dealing with problems in this way. She hugged her mother and followed her father to her old home.

***  
John returned to his house to get some things for his change back to 221B. He was fixing everything when a noise in the yard caught his eye and left him on alert. He picked up his gun and sneaked into the yard. Then he paused at the groaning of the TARDIS.

"What strange thing is that?" He thought.

And outside, he caught sight of the TARDIS. His brain screwed up again. The cabin door opened. The Doctor left. John was about to faint.

 "So I finally have the pleasure of meeting you in person," the Doctor smiled, "you remind me a lot of other health care professionals."

"Who ... who are you and how did you end up here?" John couldn't help himself.

"Of course I understand it's too much for your pudding brain to process, but I'm the Doctor," the Timelord said without much thought.

"Doctor who?" John said, still irritated, "and you did not tell me how you came here."

 "Argh!" The Doctor sighed, "just get into the cabin, Dr. Watson, please."

John frowned but obeyed. He was even more disturbed. His eyes searched the inside of the TARDIS.

"This is impossible!" He exclaimed, "what is this place?" Who are you? What are you doing here ?!"

 "I understand all your confusion John but I will answer your third question," the Doctor tried to clarify "Amelia."

Then John saw his late wife. He was sure he was dreaming. Hallucinations wanted to disturb his recovery again. He breathed in and out deeply, tried not to faint.

"Mary ..." he sighed "you ... why? ... how?"

 "I'm sorry," she said, crying, "there's so much more to me than you need to know."

He didn't hesitate to hug her. He held her tight to make sure she was alive.

"Whatever it is," John said after a long time, "I want to hear and understand, but know I forgive you. Just ... thanks for being alive."  
***  
John followed his wife through the corridors of the TARDIS until they entered a strangely Terran room. Amelia's old room. They sat on the bed.

"I guess I should start at the beginning," she sighed, "it's a long story."

"I have all the time in the world," he said, shaken.

"There's more to my past than to being a super agent." Mary picked up "my father, the man who approached you, the Doctor, well ... he's an alien."

"What?" John replied incredulously.

"I thought the size of the ship would help convince you," she said. "A long time ago, he met a girl named Amy and her fiance Rory. Both traveled with him for all time and space."

 John just grimaced and decided to just listen.

"Well, Amy and Rory had a daughter," Mary continued the story. "Melody. Unfortunately the girl grew away from them and worse she was trained as a killer to one day kill the Doctor. He had become an enemy to many and a hero to others. But Melody, now called River Song, didn't kill him. She fell in love with him" she paused, smiling "and they got married and had a daughter, me. They named me Amelia Mary Smith. I grew up as normal as an alien's daughter can grow. Myself, in my youth, I had adventures through the multiverse with my sisters. But one day I was captured by an organization called Wyther. They used me as a professional killer to kill anyone who was convenient to them. Of course I did it reluctantly. At no point did I want this. But I had to do it to survive. That's when I had a mission in England and decided to stay. That's when the AGRA staff found me. I found in them the family that I so much wanted. That's when I changed my name to Rosamund. So that no one of the Wythers could find me. Of course I had to get used to living dangerously. But inside me I've always been reluctant, I've always been in conflict. And after the incident I tried to live a normal life.

"This is where I come in," John said. "I know the story from now on. So ... your father ... Dr. Smith, I presume ..."

"Actually, Doctor," she corrected.

"The Doctor" John reformulated "and River Song are aliens. Your parents are aliens. So you..."

"I was born on Earth," Mary replied.

"You're a descendant of aliens," he sighed deeply. "How did you ... die? I saw you in front of me ..."  
   
"My father is of the people of the timelords," she approached John "Of the planet Gallifrey. They have a skill that I apparently inherited. When they are mortally wounded they regenerate. They change their bodies but my mother was aart human and my sister Jenny doesn't change her body when she regenerates. That's what happened to me. I regenerated. I put an artificial body in my place."

"I understand why you didn't tell me any of this," he replied. "I probably wouldn't believe it. But why did he run away? It would be easy to believe that you have recovered from the shot."

"But you and Rosie would still be in danger because of me," she confessed, "I would never forgive myself for it."

 "You're coming home with me." John stood up. "Let's just say you faked your death, let's find a way."

"We can't go home," Mary said with regret, "we'll still be in danger because of me. The Wythers threatened revenge against me by hurting you both."

"And what do we do then?" He asked in astonishment.

"My parents have a plan," Mary confessed. "I just hope you agree."

They walked back to the TARDIS console. John tried to process everything he had seen and heard so far, wondering if it was true or if it was just a dream or a hallucination.  
***

John recognized the Doctor again and waited to see what he would say.

"I imagine you're calmer now." The time lord smiled sadly. "I thought of a way to save you."

"Mary said yiy had a plan," John told me, "I'll do what you asked, in a strange way I trust you."

 "But Dr. Watson you should," said the Doctor, "I am your father-in-law. Well ... you have to move to a land of strangers. A place where outsiders don't call attention. America. Go to a little town there and make your life. You're a doctor and a nurse, you won't be long in getting a job. And Rosie will grow up safely. With her parents to take care of her."

"What about Sherlock?" John remembered his friend "he can't know the truth?"

"I'm very sorry, but no" his father-in-law sighed "we'll put him at risk too if he knows. Give him a convincing excuse. Explain that you received an excellent and irrefutable job offer."

"I'm going to do it," it was the clear the regret John felt about having to leave everything behind.

He hugged and kissed Mary by saying goodbye. He exchanged a quick look of agreement sealed with the Doctor and went to meet Sherlock. 

***

John entered unceremoniously at 221b. He found Sherlock reading a book, sitting in his chair, occasionally watching Rosie, who was playing on the rug, some little toys around her.

"Sit down, John, and tell me what happened," Sherlock said, looking at him.

His friend just sat down already accustomed to his habit of deducing. And indeed John seemed slightly upset.

"I was at home when I got an amazing call" the doctor started "a clinic called Tardis made me a proposal. They want me to work with them. The salary is good and I agreed to work with them."  
"So far so good," Sherlock replied, "but what's the problem?"

"It's ... well ..." John leaned forward looking uncomfortable, "the clinic is in the United States, Kansas to be more exact."

"Do you intend to move?" The detective shifted slightly alarmed in the chair. "Are you moving with your daughter, who is a small child to an unknown country?"

"I know it's difficult and very extreme, but ..." John tried to justify himself, "I'm going to have to go. I need the money."

"Do you really go to a different city to raise your own daughter?" Sherlock spoke cautiously. "I know your current salary is not as good and you worry about Rosie's future as we all do, but here you have so many friends to help take care of her ..."

"I know, but I think I'm going to be able to make friends this time." John tried to be optimistic. "I managed to become your friend then ... listen, I'll miss you, you'll miss me, but it's a matter of necessity. Besides, I'll never stop talking to you. I'll send you messages and emails every day. Promise."

"I know ..." his friend sighed, "I can't deny that I'm going to miss you. But the decision is yours, my friend. And I respect what you have decided."

"Hey," John called, "you're not going to be alone. You have Mrs. H., Greg, Molly. You are in good hands."

"You're right, John" Sherlock agreed, "I just hope everything works out there and that you come and visit me once in a while. You and Rosie."

 "Of course." John smiled relieved.

It took a week for John to leave. During this time he received further instructions from the Doctor and Mary. No one should know she was alive. Much less Sherlock. John, Mary, and Rosie would live in Lawrence, Kansas, a relatively small and peaceful city. Hidden from any Wyther. The Watsons should change their names.

 "You mean using a fake ID?" John questioned the Doctor.

"Not exactly," the timelord explained, "for security, you must at least change your surnames. Don't take anyone's name. Just create a new name for you."

"How about Winchester?" John said after thinking. "I'll still be able to write John W. It's where I grew up."

"Great," the doctor agreed, "it will still be John and Mary W.

"John and Mary Winchester" Mary agreed "and Rosie will have to change her name, too, won't she?"

 "Oh yes," her father confirmed, "you're going to have to give your daughter a new name. John and Mary are common names, but Rosamund is very specific. They would track you down and find you very easily."

 "John," Mary looked at him, "choose our daughter's name. I have already chosen and maybe if I chose now, they would still suspect that it is my daughter. It's your turn now."  
"Elizabeth," he said after a moment's thought, "it's the queen's name. She won't forget that she is British."

John was thrilled. Because he was a soldier, he couldn't help being patriotic.

"Sherily," he continued, "Sherlock would be glad that I gave his name to my daughter. More or less, Elizabeth Sherly Winchester."

"Elizabeth is common, Sherly is embarrassing as every middle name should be and Winchester is a simple surname" The Doctor pondered "I think it will serve John."

His son-in-law gave him a wistful smile. The week passed quickly and on a Friday afternoon there were Sherlock, John and Rosie at the airport.

He had said good-bye to Molly, Greg, and Mrs. Hudson. And Sherlock made a point of accompanying the Watsons to the airport.

"So that's it," Sherlock said, "the end of an era."

"It may even be," John replied, putting Rosie in his lap, "but don't think of it as farewell. I'll keep my promise. I'll always keep in touch. After all you are my best friend and I'm sure no one could take your place."

"I say the same as you, my best friend." Sherlock smiled.

They exchanged a hug. Rosie got a kiss from her godfather and a hug. There was the last call to John's plane, and they both sighed.

"Have a good trip, John" Sherlock wished, and they shook hands.

The detective watched his best friend and his goddaughter walk away and take the plane. He had the luxury of admitting that he already missed the Watsons. When John and Rosie arrived in Lawrence, there was the TARDIS waiting in front of the house he had bought. Mary and the Doctor were waiting for them. Mary hugged her husband and daughter with all her might.

"I'm sorry John," she said emotionally. "I know it's not easy for you, but thanks, thank you."

"I'm leaving now" the Doctor announced "take care, love each other and be safe. I'll come back if you need me."

"Thank you, Father." Mary gave him a hug. "Send my regards to Mom."

"Be happy, my daughter." The Doctor gave her one last scowl and disappeared into his TARDIS, which disappeared immediately.

The Watsons, now Winchesters, entered their new home. Mary and John had hearts full of anticipation and anxiety. They would do their best to make an unknown land begin to look like home.


	2. The American Way

In the early days in Lawrence it all seemed like a dream. The Winchesters neighbors had received them very well, and little by little they began to feel at home, John thought he had awakened from a nightmare. However much he missed from London, seeing Mary taking care of Elizabeth rewarded everything. But then the problems began to arise.

John tried in every way to get a doctor's seat in the hospitals and clinics of the city. Nothing appeared and of course that frustrated him. At the end of an entire day of searching for a job, John sat down with regret on the couch.

"Tough day, honey?" Mary asked, sitting down beside him.

"I didn't get anything," he confessed, discouraged.

"Yet" she tried to give you hope "it's all a matter of time, John. You'll get something."

 "Who knows if I ..." He started to work out a strategy.

When he was interrupted by a little hand on his leg "Hi Belle, Daddy also wanted to see you."

 "Belle?" Mary said, "that's new. If it's a nickname for Elizabeth, I expected Eliza or Lizzie or Liz or Beth."

"Belle is more appropriate," John finally smiled, "it's the perfect nickname for Lawrence's most beautiful girl."

"Your father is very dumb, Belle" Mary also laughed agreeing and enjoying the nickname.

 "As I said," John resumed as he settled Belle on his lap, "I thought I'd try another career. A simple but easy to get job. Surely someone needs a helper. That's what I'm going to do tomorrow."

"That's the spirit, John." His wife kissed his cheek.

 The couple spent the rest of the night playing with their daughter.

The next day John woke up early and went out to get a job. He walked to the other side of town as the car's engine began to collapse.

"Oh no no no ..." he muttered, noticing the problem.

When he got out of the car he saw that he would have to push it. "How can I be so unlucky," he thought. He pushed for three blocks in a row and stopped to rest. In a game turn he saw a mechanic's shop across the street. He sighed in relief.

"Hey, something happened to my engine," John stepped in and said to the owner, "could you have a look?"

 "Yes, I can Mr. ..." asked the owner of the shop.

"Winchester" for a moment John meant Watson "you can just call me John."

"Have you taken a look?" The mechanic suggested. "Maybe it's something simple."

 "I didn't think of that," John realized how stunned he was "I'll see now."

He glanced quickly at the engine, then realized he couldn't fix it.

"I guess I lost my trip," he remarked, "it can't be repaired."

"Are you sure?" Woodson, the owner of the shop, was intrigued and went for a look himself.

 When he finished looking he saw that John was right.

 "You seem to understand a lot of cars," he told John, "you're right, it can't be fixed. Do you need a job? You would make an excellent mechanic."

"Is it serious?" John was amazed "I really needed a job. I accept. When can i start?"

"How about tomorrow?" Mr. Woodson suggested. "I really need one more mechanic."

"Thank you so much." John shook his enthusiastic hand, sealing the deal.

Mr. Woodson gave him a ride back home. John arrived and then told Mary about the news. She pointed out that since the car had broken and now he had a job he should look for a new car. Time spent with John working as a mechanic until he had enough money to buy a new car. A stranger who seemed so familiar told him to buy a 1967 Chevy Impala. However old the car was, it served its purpose.

3 months after their move to America, John and Mary were surprised to find out she was pregnant again.

In January of the following year they had a boy. Dean Campbell Winchester. A simple name to fool intergalactic enemies. Dean in honor of John's mother, Campbell was her maiden name and Winchester the American surname. Even though she was so young, Belle was already showing care and protection for her little brother. Two babies left Mary exhausted but their smile gave her new strength. Dean was a clever baby attentive to everything his sister and parents were doing. When John put Dean to bed he imagined everything he would teach him to do when he was older, drive, play rugby, tell stories about his best friend.

When Dean was 10 months old and played with his older sister on the living room rug over the care of his parents someone knocked on the door. John stood to see who it was.

"Hi, can I help you?" John said to a blond-looking young woman. She wore converse sneakers and an overcoat.

"Hi, I'm Jenny," she said, "Jenny Smith. Mary said the new baby was born. I came to see him."

 "You can come in," John said. "You're a friend of Mary's?"

"Mary didn't tell me about me?" Jenny was surprised. "I'm her sister."

"Are you Jenny?" He reminded himself, "daughter of the Doctor created by a DNA sample from him?"

"That's me and you must be John." She became more enthusiastic. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"It's my pleasure," he smiled.

"Jenny!" Mary stood up and hugged her. "You came!"

"Of course you'd think I wasn't coming?" Jenny laughed.

"Come, meet your nephews, this is Rosie we now call Belle, and Dean" Mary introduced the children.

"They are beautiful, sister" Jenny was fascinated by the children "I'm very glad that you have found your own family"

Belle and Dean grew up until they were very close to each other, they used to play together, running on the lawn and their home. They occasionally circled the Impala with their father in the neighborhood when they shopped and their mother took them for a surprise visit in the shop to see their father. The Doctor, River and Jenny visited them a few times. It was a quiet and happy simple life for John Mary and their children. That was when the Winchesters had a pleasant surprise.

They had another little boy, Sam. Samuel Campbell Winchester. His name was a tribute to his grandfather Henry Samuel Watson. The baby first caused a certain strangeness in Belle and Dean, but soon they realized that they should unite to protect Sammy. They spent the day admiring and playing with him. Soon Belle Dean and Sam got used to the joyous routine of spending the day playing and the night listening to the stories that their parents told of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Sometimes John wondered if it was safe to tell Sherlock since they had to flee London. But for now everything was fine. As much as his life had changed so much, he was happy to have his wife back, his children who were his greatest joy and his best friend even from a distance. Lawrence had finally become the home of the Winchesters.


	3. Out of the Road

Mary, John Belle and Dean were finally able to set up their long-sought house in Kansas. And it was just in time, for young Samuel had just arrived. After some time they settled down, something important and that would change their lives was about to happen.

"Dean, come on, say good night to your brother," Mary said in a velvety voice. Her hair was much longer than usual. When they reached the room of the youngest of the family, Dean descended from his mother's lap and went to give a sweet dream kiss on his brother when John appears in the door with messy hair and Belle in his lap, the girl was wearing a pajama full of horses and two braids, sleepy on her father's lap.

"Daddy!" Said an enthusiastic Dean embracing his father's legs as Mary took Belle in her lap.

"Hey, champion! Ready for bed?" John smiled and caught Dean's already scratching his eyes.

"After a little detective story," the boy asked, smiling, and the four of them left the room to turn off the light and take the older ones to sleep in the room where they shared.

"Dean," whispered Belle when their parents left, "I have a bad feeling. Dean?"

"Oh Lizzie, it should be nothing okay? It must be your fault for reading those mom's books ... I thought you were asleep," her brother replied.

"I was just pretending" started the little girl, uncertain "Sammy slept ... sweet dreams little D."

It was already three in the morning when Mary wakes up scared by the electronic babysitter and not seeing John in bed goes to the child's bedroom. Arriving there, she encounters a silhouette of someone holding her son, but for the years of living with Sherlock Holmes she soon deduces that it's not John and she looks for a weapon on a nearby table and it takes about 15 minutes to find her entering the room and pointing to the back of the guy holding her Sammy on his lap. There is a scream and John wakes up abruptly and follows the cry to the room of the youngest who was crying in the crib, so he sees drops of blood fall on Sam's forehead and look up.

"Oh God!" He looks at her, still breathing, and going to catch fire any minute.

Then he climbed into Sam's cradle climbing the same and managing to pull his beloved wife. Minutes later everything starts to catch fire so he puts his wife carefully on the ground, picks up Sam and leaves from there finding the two little ones in the hall. He hands Sam over to Belle and tells her to run with Sam and Dean from there and she does it. 

Police and firefighters surround the place and Mary leaves from there wrapped in a stretcher. Meanwhile, Belle follows the instructions of her father seated hugging Dean and Sam in her lap when she's surprised by her Aunt Jenny, who came as soon as John called her.

The other day at the hospital, the Winchesters received tragic news.

"John Winchester?" A nurse called.

"That's me" he raised from his seat "is she ..." he looked at his children in the distance with Jenny trying to comfort the boys "you know ... alive?"

"Yes but she's in a coma ..."

John Winchester heard nothing else from there, just sat down and buried his face in his entwined hands. Only a thought crossed his mind. "Find the bastard who had left his wife in a coma"

The children were worried at home, along with their aunt Jenny, who was too shaken to explain what was happening. John decided after much thought that he should tell what was happening to his children. He went to the hospital canteen.

"Jenny," he called, "I need to talk to the kids alone."

She nodded and stood up.

"Dad?" Belle worried to see his state "what was it? Our house got burned and Mom ..."

"Belle, Dean," John called in his tone of serious conversation, "I have to say something very serious to you."

The children had glazed eyes and afflicted faces fixed on their father.

"When the accident started your mother was hit," John said in a choked voice, "the doctor explained that she had been hit very hard in the head and ... she is fainting now ... only ... the doctor doesn't know when she's going to wake up ... it may take a long, long time ... but" he suppressed a sob while the tears fell- "t's going to be okay with you ... I promise ... I ... I will take care of you ..."

"It was a person who hurt my mother," Dean said. "Are you going after him, Dad?"

"I will..." John sighed. "I'll come back to take care of you ... I'll always come back, I promise you, my children."

He hugged them both. Sam was agitated on Belle's lap. John took him from his daughter's lap and tried to calm him down.

"I'll take care of you," he promised once more.

"Me too John" Jenny completed coming back from where she was "I will prepare them and I swear by Theta Sigma that they will be ready for whatever comes against them."

They didn't return to their home. John rented another houw3, much smaller and after they had settled in the new house, he decided to follow his clues against who had hurt Mary. He said goodbye to his beloved children and went to his personal mission, leaving Jenny to take care of the children.

 John then discovered about the monsters and how Mary's family had a tradition of killing them. Jenny and Mary had found monsters on their way and wiped them out. John then became a hunter. He was walking all over the country, but he always went back to Lawrence to see his children, and whenever he was with them he made a point of making his best in their time together. He talked, played, counseled, and told happy stories.

"Dad!" Belle shouted warning her brothers that her father had arrived. She gave him a tight hug that was reciprocated. Dean came right behind her. John took him in his lap.

"Where's Sammy?" Their father asked.

 "In the living room," Belle replied, "we were playing hide and seek."

"It was more like hide from Aunt Jenny," he confessed.

"Why would you hide from Aunt Jenny?" John was worried.  
"She tells bad, scary stories," Belle said, "and even says it's true."

John sighed in frustration.

"I'll talk to her," he said, and found Sam behind the couch.

"Dad." The boy smiled relieved and ran into John's arms.

"What are you doing there Sammy?" John asked.

"Aunt Jenny wants to tell us one more monster story," the little boy confessed, "or she wants us to throw more salt around the house. We already did it. I don't think we need to, and I don't even know why we have to do this."

"I'm sorry Sam," his father said, sad. "Look, stay with Belle and Dean, and after dinner, I promise we'll play rugby, okay?

"Okay," Sam agreed and followed his siblings.

John found Jenny at the back of the kitchen, looking very angry.

"The children aren't very happy with you," he said, hurt.

"They're just upset over the stories I told them," Jenny said as if there was nothing wrong with it.

"You knew I wanted to keep them out of this world," he shouted a little, "so why are you scaring them?"

"I'm not scaring anyone, John." She stood up with a restrained fury. "I'm teaching them to survive. Their mother, even though she was an experienced hunter and agent, was badly injured by a creature. I don't want the same thing to happen to my nephews."

"Mary could be all that," John countered, "but she had a childhood, didn't she? Never mind, how would you know if you were born an adult?"

"Maybe if their mother had trained since she was a child, she wouldn't be hurt now!" Jenny cried out in disgust, not thinking too much about what she was talking about.

"Okay," John tried to remain calm. "I don't want to fight. I just want you to help me protect them without scaring them, right?"

John turned his back on Jenny and realized that his three children heard the screams.

"Why are you fighting Dad?" Belle dared to ask.

"Ah Belle ..." he sighed and bent down a little to look directly into her eyes "Aunt Jenny has done something I did not like, just that, don't worry, okay? We're good now".

The last part he said trying to convince himself.

On that day they dined in silence and as promised, John played rugby with the children to Jenny's displeasure. She saw all this as a waste of time. Mary's acident had left Jenny completely shaken. So deeply that she was always on alert. And she thought that the sooner her nephews learned to fight, the safer they would be. 

When Belle and Dean arrived at age 10, Jenny taught them how to shoot. John was furious with her, but on the one hand he understood her. Until he gave up persuading her to stop training her children as soldiers. That is why he unfolded himself to be a loving and caring father, which made his children come even closer to him.

Regularly Belle Dean Sam and John would visit Mary at the hospital. They talked to her and carried flowers and cards. Very rarely did her heart rate rise slightly when she heard the voices of her family members. Belle became a second mother to her siblings, so much so that sometimes Sam would let a mother "slip" unintentionally when he called her. She tried to be an obedient niece to avoid trouble. Dean tried to be the exemplary soldier in an attempt to have Aunt Jenny get enough to leave them alone. That wasn't what happened. Sam couldn't stand the pressure his aunt put on training and defense against monsters. His siblings shared the same sentiment. John was struggling to keep the children's lives at least a little happier, trying to keep the hope alive that one day Mary would wake up and they would be a whole family again.


End file.
